Editors' Picks
Some of our favorite essays from the catalogue.
A Contemplation of Donna Elvira's Emotional State in Don Giovanni
Morgan Ballard-Wheeler
A careful and thoughtful analysis of Donna Elvira's character, with a keen eye for subtleties in the music.
The Man of Faith
Xin Ye
Mr. Ye’s essay describes faith in a way that seems both mad and marvelous. It challenges one to understand and embrace faith as “divine madness.”
On Memory and the Self in Hamlet
Ellie Gold Laabs
Beautifully written and tightly crafted, Laabs probes the symbolism of the skull in Hamlet to illustrate the struggle between memory and the self.
The Cumulative Action of Creation
Annie Brong
This essay is a great help in resolving common misjudgments of which Darwin is too often subject. Few are capable of treating Darwin this honestly.
A Gesture Towards a New Plato
Weiouqing Chen
Unconventional yet textually rooted, Chen's approach to the dialogues questions the textbook descriptions of Plato's metaphysics and suggests new avenues of inquiry.
Thucydides, Societal Efficacy, and the Nature of Examination in Wartime
Jackson Coerr
A piercing examination of the lessons of history, as well as a thoughtful meditation on how Thucydides conveys these lessons.